Digital libraries and repositories

Christian Zange • 22 June 2021

Digital libraries and repositories

Well-structured and easily searchable repositories are a huge benefit for learners. They promote self-directed learning and research further to the publication of helpful, previously undiscovered materials. We see digital libraries as a central element of every learning, knowledge, and exchange platform.

Examples include:

  • Digital media platforms
  • Digital libraries
  • Professional knowledge platforms

Solutions for digital libraries and repositories

The sensible and targeted management and provision of digital media requires a rich combination of tools:

  • Structured media databases
  • Search engines (full text, facets, filters)
  • Recommendation systems (statistics - or AI-based)
  • Optical Character Recognition
  • Taxonomy systems
  • Meta data Extraction
  • Media Player
  • Evaluation and comment systems
  • etc.

User-centric, strategic and innovative

We help organisations develop digital libraries and repositories. A digital platform is almost always a central component. We consider the entire toolbox and advise on the selection of the right tools. We help integrate these both into the organisational processes and technically into the platform. Our aim is to provide innovative, user-friendly, and secure solutions. For sustainability reasons we rely on open-source technology and see ourselves as part of a large developer community.

Organisational processes are an important keyword. A platform as a technical solution does not produce a good library. Instead, it is the media and content found in the library that are decisive. In addition to curating and tagging the content and media, amongst many other things, rights to content must be secured and approval processes must be sensibly mapped. All this is done with the help of clever technologies, but also requires organisational development and rethinking your own way of working.

This organisational development also comes to nothing if a strategic perspective is missing. What do we even want to achieve with a digital library, who is the target group, and what additional value - what net product can be achieved at different levels and in what way? What does the business model around a possibly also commercial e-learning proposal look like? After all, the focus is on design, branding and marketing.

Our Proposal

We see ourselves as a partner for the implementation of e-learning:

  • Strategic consulting and conception: What is the goal and how do we achieve it? What are the requirements and needs of the target group? Which business model can be applied? How is value creation possible?
  • Development and implementation of the digital library: We rely on proven technologies (such as Islandora) and develop standardised modules and plugins to expand these technologies for you. User requirements and good usability are our foci.
  • Digital Library Training: We help you become independent and maintain your own digital library, identify content, and conduct effective online seminars.
  • SaaS Hosting: You can also host our solutions yourself although our customers are happy to use our secure SaaS hosting in the think modular cloud (location EU / Germany).

We do not develop courses and course content. Instead, we provide the infrastructure and advise on all essential questions in the introduction and implementation of e-learning.

We work well with partner companies that specialise in content creation. In many cases, however, our customers also create their own content using the tools we provide.